Paul McCartney

"There's nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in LA, I realised what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I'm more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope that these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!"

Bryan Garza (Scissors For Lefty)

"Moonlit strolls?? Fancy pants dinners?? No thanks, I would prefer to fall in love in the aisle of an independent record shop. See you there... "

Dave Schools (Widespread Panic)

"When I was a kid the indy record store was the basket house of my generation. It was a hub where I could go to hang out and hear music that the radio sure as hell was never going to play. I was exposed to new artists and I met like minded listeners. Sometimes an artist would actually come in to the store and perform or at least "meet the people," and to me that was the epitome of cool. Without the inspiration I was exposed to by my local record store I would never have been able to make the music that has made me a happier person. It is important that we support the remaining independent stores so that we can preserve the whole food chain that stretches from the artists' hands to the listener's ears. So skip the big box retailers and their price point indices, vote for the little guy, and while you're at it, why not ask your local indy record store when they are going to start serving coffee??"

Peter Gabriel

"I was introduced to lots of great music through my local record store. It was a place where people knew music and they knew me, and could make great suggestions and discoveries. Whether it is in the physical world or on-line, the value of a great and knowledgeable record store has not gone away"

amberRose Marie

"As a new artist, the independent music scene is a way of life for me. What I hear from my fan peeps is that they are interested in purchasing music in many formats. Long Island is unique in that the indie record store is part of our community fabric. It's cool that I purchased my music in my hometown store in Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island; and now as a recording artist, I have an opportunity to share that excitement with music fans in an intimate way. I look forward to joining my hometown store, Record Stop in what will be part of a day long record celebration on Long Island!"

Mike Robinson (Annuals)

"I've shopped at the world famous Schoolkids Records in chapel hill and raleigh, NC my whole life. I still stop in at least once a week, buying records is the proper way to love and nurture music as well as musicians. There are some stinky musicmakers in the world, they need your help to buy soap and maybe some old spice."

Raheem DeVaughn

"I love indie record stores, man. I love anything that's about independence and preserving the brand of good music."

Ryan Wilson - DIVISION DAY

The artist and the independent music store share in a symbiotic relationship based on a mutual appreciation and passion for new music that ultimately benefits us all, whether we realize it now or not. "What goes around comes around" may seem like a cliche, but imagine a world in which all that was going around was the same tired corporate sludge that saturates commercial radio, with NO way for other ideas to be heard. Without the mom and pops pushing those little records full of big ideas, where would we be?

"Indie" has become a real buzzword lately that now signifies a certain "style," and debatably, "sound;" however, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that at the core, the word "independent" means that you've chosen to strike out on your own, and in this case, to make a living doing what you love. How can you not be behind that? These people, artists AND store owners alike are part of a community (local and global) that DESERVE your support - these are people that are making it happen! So check in with what's going on down at your local store - slip on your sneakers, grab a cup of coffee, and go get your fingers dirty browsing the stacks, because there's no replacing the experience of community and the enjoyment of good tunes. RIP Sea Level Records!

David and Don Was (Not Was)

"In the beginning was the record store, more like a modern-day temple with its attendant priesthood and initiates, a holy repository of the culture's most sacred beats and rhymes. By comparison, the internet is a clean room in a hospital -- it lacks the funk and feeling of a place with floors and ceilings and racks full of soul-stirring goodness. May they persist till someone turns the lights out on this small planet! Here's to the true believers -- keep the faith, brothers and sisters!"

James McMurtry

"Indie record stores were what we had to start with, and they're all we've got left."

Charlie Louvin

" I'd like to thank all the indie stores from Florida to California and all points in between for being so welcoming in 2007. I played Park Ave CDs, Waterloo, Shake It, Horizon, Amoeba (LA & SF), Criminal Records, Shangri-La, Grimey's, Vintage Vinyl, Ear X Tacy, Twist & Shout,Record Exchange, and a few more I can't recall. Thanks for your help with my Grammy-nominated Charlie Louvin album and Live At Shake It Records CD. Look for my new CD in late 2008. "

Shelby Lynne

"You can't roll a joint on an iPod - buy vinyl!"

Mark Gardener (Ride)

"God only knows what I would be doing now had it not been for the records that l have discovered and loved as a result of buying records and being turned on to new music from independent record stores. If we lose the independents then we lose a total culture of people who are aware that all the interesting bands and music start at this place and are fed by music lovers directly on a personal level rather than a sea of corporate mediocrity."

Mikko Siren (APOCALYPTICA)

"I still find it most rewarding to go to my local record shop where I can talk to people who know all about the music they're representing, and where I can get answers to my questions without spending 45 minutes trying to find a link to customer service which would send me an auto-reply in three days.

Support your local record shop to keep musical environment vivid!"

Brett Netson (Built To Spill)

"The local record store is a cultural event. Every purchase you make , every day, every year, it is a rich cultural history in the making. Go down to your favorite shop and grab some coffee, a nice pastry and then head in to the record store for the ultimate recorded experience. Maybe see some friends. Next thing you know you just had a nice afternoon.

Go to one of those big box stores and get the full assault.

Bright sterile fluorescent lights and all that fake, old timey crap on the walls that drives home the point that this is an approximation of an experience. You are one of a million cattle herded in and out of those crapholes. This history can easily be rewritten. And you sure as hell won't talk to anyone there, cause everyone else is just as annoyed, alienated and lost as you are. And, as you get trapped in that endless parking lot it really seals the deal. I have precious memories of my favorite shops and so do many of my best friends. That's shared history man. And buying my first Velvet Underground record or Love's "Forever Changes" , or seeing my first "punk show" flyer, takes that whole experience deep into you. That lasts forever. That's powerful stuff."

Butch Walker

"as a little five points alumni of 11 years, back in the 1900's, I used to live behind criminal records on a street called colquitt in an apartment with a rotating cast of roommate's girlfriends. I would be on the road about 300 days out of the year, and home on most mondays and tuesdays. Those were my days to go get cultured on new and exciting music, and buy my dimebag habit of U.K. Magazines. The thing is, I would have never gotten this kind of education or variety of pop culture fun from a supermarket that sells Shakira records.

Don't get me wrong. My day job pays me well for making records for those kinds of folks, but I don't wanna listen to it. I mean, would you wanna eat donuts for dinner, if you made them all day in a factory? Nope. Same with music. thanks Eric...."

Michael Fremer (www.musicangle.com)

I fed my vinyl habit in college and law school during the late '60s/early '70s by working in indie record stores in Ithaca, New York (The Record Runner) and Boston Mass. (Minuteman Records, New England Music City and Cheap Thrills). Love of music, not money drove those businesses as it drove my desire to work there. It's where fans came to share stories, argue about what was great (and what sucked), discover new music, flip through the records and feel connected to a vibrant, world-wide music scene. Some memories: when the owner of The Record Runner found out that The Beatles' "White Album" had been released in the UK well in advance of the American version, he ordered a few hundred copies and when they arrived at Customs he dispatched me to New York City in his two-seater Volvo P-1800. I drove there and back to Ithaca the same day to find kids lined up around the block in the freezing cold late afternoon waiting for me and "The Beatles." Of course I still have that record and despite hundreds of plays it still sounds better than any CD edition. I remember when an import record arrived at Minuteman in Cambridge on the Philips label featuring an odd looking bloke with different sized pupils. "Ground control to Major Tom!" It's going to take a record store resurgence (underway!) to capture the imagination of the next generation and save music from the clutches of mass mediocrity. I could blather on, but I'd rather spin the new Cat Power double LP.

Jon Rauhouse

"if it wasn't for the record store, musicians like myself would not have had access to music of previous artists and styles through the used LP or used CD. i would rather peruse the bins looking for the odd Artie Shaw or Keely Smith recording and letting the clerk let me give it a listen, than listen to something on a tiny laptop speaker before i download it to a disk drive. being in Phoenix, you must go to Stinkweeds record store and live in the physical world of music."

Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl)

"it is hard to underestimate the role of independent retail in the music industry. as the world continues to try and cram every purchase they make onto their computer, turning music into binary digits and artwork into pixelated packshots, we can only sit and wait for them to wake up from their dream and realize that ultimately human interaction in shops, with informed good people, handling cherishable artefacts is good for the soul. in the meantime we need to support the people who keep this world alive for the moment we all realize we need it again."

David Simon (Creator and Director for the HBO award winning series "The Wire")

"The best feeling on earth is to be surprised by something you never expected to find in a book store. The second best feeling on earth is to be surprised by something you never expected to find in a record store. If it something used, or rare or out-of-print all the better. And, honestly, what are the chances of something like that happening in a chain store. I can spend three hours going through the stacks at a place like Sound Garden. It is never time wasted."

Norah Jones

"It's important to keep indie record stores alive because their unique environments introduce music lovers to things in a very personal way."

Mike Patton (Co-owner Ipecac Recordings/Peeping Tom/Tomahawk/ Fantömas/Faith No More, etc)

"I love indie record stores! My first job was working at a record store. While touring, I still always hit my favorite record stores. What is not to love about record stores? To be surrounded by millions of records, some that you know and love and others that are hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Record stores are also a great social outing. You can meet and talk to other people that share your love for the art of music. The excitement of strolling the aisles of a cool record store will always excite me. It's best to do it without knowing what you are looking for. I can spend hours in my favorite record store. Record stores are my candy shops!!!!"

Cameron Crowe (one time Associate Editor of Rolling Stone, Screenwriter for films like "Fast Times At Ridgemont High," and Director of films such as "Say Anything…," "Jerry McGuire," "Almost Famous," "Vanilla Sky" and "Elizabeth Town.")

"The record store. Where true fandom begins. It's the soul of discovery, and the place where you can always return for that mighty buzz. The posters. The imports. The magazines. The discerning clerks, paid in vinyl, professors of the groove. Long live that first step inside, when the music envelopes you and you can't help it. You walk up to the counter and ask the question that begins the journey -- "what is that you're playing?" Long live the record store, and the guys and girls who turn the key, and unlock those dreams, every day."

John Doe

"The physical act of picking up a recording (CD, vinyl, cassette), checking it out, finding something unavailable, etc.; is an experience you will NEVER get online. And now it's becoming common knowledge that CDs have more digital information than most files, so they sound better. A great or even good record store is like no other."

Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips)

"The 'cool' record store. It is where you can talk to people who are like you. They look like you, think like you and, most tellingly like the same music as you - the only comparable experience these days would probably be an art museum - an actual place where you can stand and simply be surrounded by your heroes."

Henry Rollins

"I have watched independent record stores evaporate all over America and Europe. That's why I go into as many as I can and buy records whenever possible. If we lose the independent record store, we lose big. Every time you buy your records at one of these places, it's a blow to the empire."

Chuck Berry

"Music is an important part of our culture and record stores play a vital part in keeping the power of music alive"

Damon Albarn (Blur, The Gorillaz, etc.)

"My local independent record shop (Honest Jons) is a library, where you can go to listen to music, learn about it, exchange ideas about it and be inspired by it. I think independent record shops will outlive the music industry as we know it because long term their value to people is far greater, because even in our era of file-sharing and blogs, you cant replace the actual look on someone's face when they are playing something they really rate and think you should listen to it too. It's special."

Joan Jett

"The indie record stores are the backbone of the recorded music culture. It's where we go to network, browse around, and find new songs to love. The stores whose owners and staff live for music have spread the word about exciting new things faster and with more essence than either radio or the press. Any artist that doesn't support the wonderful ma and pa record stores across America is contributing to our own extinction."

Luis Cabezas (guitar) Dollyrots

"Indie record stores are essential to anyone seeking out rare inspiration. Digging albums with weird artwork, less obvious song titles, and music that might fall out of the pattern of whatever is at the top of the charts at this very second, is not an easy position to be in - without the existence of your favorite indie store.

Indies are set up and stocked by people who truly love music, they are the gatekeepers; separating the tasteful from the tasteless, and the 'excellently' tasteless from the really bad. They exist not for the sake of the scene or the trend, but owing to an appreciation for connections between artists, their inspired dysfunction, and the social messages therein. It's reflected in what's on their shelves, and you can't lose since whatever you choose will either be something you love or something that you'll grow to understand. Getting music this way is like having your very own music advisor gremlin, a radically cool devil on your shoulder guiding you to the stuff that'll blow your mind before dissolving like candy. It's a wonderful thing - and I much prefer real people helping me shape my musical taste than some socially networked computer program."

Ziggy Marley

"Record stores keep the human social contact alive it brings people together. Without the independent record stores the community breaks down with everyone sitting in front of their computers"

The Record Store by Damien Rice

"dusty violin maker shop small corner record store water holes for dreamers don't stop breathe more"

Regina Spektor

"I just really love anything that's not faceless and where people know each other and work together to build, like, a community. People that work there know their stuff; they're not coming in today to sell music and tomorrow to sell TVs and the next day to sell whatever. Somebody can come in and say, "I want somebody who plays piano music" or something, and somebody will actually tell them to listen to my record and they'll play it in the store for them and they'll talk about it. You can connect in some way with somebody who's doing something that they love. And that it's important to have something that is being done just out of true love for new music that is being welcomed into the world. People should go to their indie record store and find out what is happening."

Sam Phillips (A&R/producer for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and many others)

"There would be no Elvis. There would be no Johnny Cash. There'd be no B.B King. There'd be no Roscoe Gordon. There'd be no Carl Perkins. There would be no Jerry Lee Lewis. There would be no Roy Orbison. I can just tell you. We owe all of that to the independents and the independent people that work so hard for us to have something that could be accepted through their efforts,hard work, and desire to keep a personal feeling in every record.."

Sam Fogarino (Interpol, Magnetic Morning)

"The indie record shop is a global institution. It's a place that reflects history, the current state, and at times, can predict the future. Identities are formed and molded at record shops when one discovers an artist, an album, a genre, that moves them to no end. It's a venue for human contact; a social HQ for all music fans and fans of all music. Music fans, record collectors, DJs, and recording artist, now have a responsibility to keep this institution alive - more than just a mere 'shop' is at risk of extinction."

Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER)

Growing up a rock and metal fan on Long Island in the 70's and 80's was very different than it is today. There were no chain stores like Virgin and Tower and of course no internet mail order services like Amazon. The only way to pick up albums were to shop at your local "mom and pop" record stores....

In the late 70s, it was always easy to find the latest releases from my favorite bands....Led Zeppelin, The Who, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Queen, etc were all readily available at any record store. But in the early 80's, as I discovered more "underground" metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Accept, Mercyful Fate, Loudness and Raven (from reading my imported copies of Kerrang), there was no place in small town Long Beach, Long Island to find the latest records from these bands I was reading about. Then I discovered Slipped Disc Records in Valley Stream, Long Island. They not only carried the albums from these bands, but also the 12" singles with bonus tracks, the t-shirts, the imported live videos and anything else that existed! When the American thrash scene was beginning to erupt around 1983, I could always count on Slipped Disc to carry anythings I was looking for from bands like Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam, Death Angel and Nuclear Assault.

Taking the train there every Saturday was the highlight of my week! And on the day I received my drivers license, the very first place I drove to was Slipped Disc to pick up Metallica's Ride The Lightning album which was released that VERY day! (The imported version of course!) Now in 2008, the world is a very different place...the aforementioned chains and online stores have made it very difficult for the mom and pop stores to compete. In fact, my beloved Slipped Disc just announced it will be closing its doors for good. So let's hear it for people like Mike from Slipped Disc and all of the independant store owners that have helped shape the metal scene for the past 25 years. Without them, a lot of us may not have existed....(Or at least have been as metal as we are!)

Tech N9ne (hip hop artist / co-owner Strange Music)

"The indie stores were the first to initially support me and gave me my first opportunities. Similar to the indie store, I, too, am an indie artist and that in part makes us the master of our own destiny. I can create my own music without a major label telling me which beats to use, what my lyrics should be, and how I can be commercial. Instead, I choose to make my own music and hope the fans dig it as much as I do. Similarly, indie stores create their own unique atmosphere within their stores giving their customers a true sense of what the music is about instead of cookie cutter stores that all look alike, carry the same product, and have the same guy who is selling me a washing machine telling me what the hottest new record is. I, personally, have major love for all the indies. Because I am an indie artist, radio has shut me out in favor of major artists who pay to get played. The indies recognized my talent and actually promoted me as an artist and exposed new people to my music. As a result, with the indies help, you have now heard of me throughout the US. They gave my music an opportunity to be heard and now with the fans support, I have become the largest truly indie rapper."

Dean Wareham (Luna)

"We are drowning in a sea of Myspace, blather, and too much information. Music is everywhere and nowhere. The independent record store is the solution, a place staffed by friendly (or not) people who are actually paid to weed through this crap and help you find the good stuff."

Meatwad (Aqua Teen Hunger's mostly peaceful, childishly simple-minded mass of compressed meat - not approved for human consumption.)

"If it weren't for Best Buy, I would have never discovered the New Release Aisle. And if it weren't for the New Release Aisle, I would have never discovered Panic! At the Disco. And if it weren't for Panic! At the Disco, I would have never starting wearing mascara with my top hat, which is what I was wearing when I beat my 12-year old neighbor to death with a set of cast-iron log tongs. If it weren't for my dead 12-year old neighbor, I would have never gone to prison. But if it weren't for my fireplace, I would have never discovered my cast- iron log tongs. So who truly is to blame for the death of my stupid neighbor? I blame independent record stores."

Ian Gillan (Deep Purple)

"Buy real records in real shops, or I'll come round your house and scream at your mother."

Ben Wells (Black Stone Cherry)

"We always hunt for Indie stores while we're on the road! You can find the best in every genre and many obscure albums you never knew existed! Besides the constant smell of Nag Champa, you can't beat the hospitality nor the selection of a good ole Independant shop!"

Patton Oswalt

"The idea of, 'The journey is the destination' is put into action by browsing in an indie record store. Besides, a human being is a much better guide than a 'More Like This' link on the internet."

Jason Hill (Louis XIV)

"I spent my years in high school, every chance I could, walking down the street to two local indie record stores. I'd go to the dollar bins and pull out as many records as I could afford that day. If I liked the album cover, who was playing on it, their clothes, whatever drew me in. I might like all that I picked up or only one or two or none, it didn't matter - it was exiting to find new music for me. No mater how old the music actually was, it was brand new to me. Sometimes even listening to music that I didn't like helped me define what I did. I couldn't do the same if I was walking into the major chains, it wouldn't be as fun trying to search thru the American Idol discs."

kt Tunstall

"Independent record stores are like a casino where you put down your money and you always win. How amazing to discover gems you didn't know about, to meet someone more passionate than you are, and to feel at home in a place you may never have been to before. I'm convinced they will never lose their place - Long may they rule."

Bear Rinehart (Need to Breathe)

"If you're looking for the last Whiskeytown record or some elusive import, you won't have to look any further than your local indie record store. Plus, in the same trip you'll probably discover about ten more albums that you love. As an artist, the indie experience is the way you envision people finding your music. As a fan, they're the only way to go."

Sean aka Slug (Atmosphere)

"I grew up in independent record stores. As a teenager, I would hang out in them, looking at records, learning about records. Eventually I spent my twentysomethings working behind the counters of two of the more prominent indie stores in my city. Graduated from that to co-owning one. So I'm sort of biased, I guess. If I were to make a list of the traits that make the indie store a vital part of the music industries movement, this blurb would be too long. So I will stick to two basic points:
1. breaking new bands. 2. Great place to meet awesome women.

Don't need to go any further than that. In fact, looking back, I can't really come up with anything negative to say about indie stores. Well, except that the indie store is what made me a music snob. And honestly, I'm even thankful for that.

G. Love

"Independent record stores are where kids like me learned about the music that made them the musicians they are today. Independent record stores are about the love of records not the love of money!"

Mark Palgy (VHS OR BETA)

"The concept of an indie record store brings me back to the days when there were no bloggers, no myspace, no cell phones. Going to Ear X-Tacy (the main Louisville record store that thankfully still exists) and Ground Zero (a bit INDIER with much more vinyl and obscure 7 inches, etc) was a communal thing for my friends and I. It was a place to go and hang out before we could get into bars. It was a place to go and thumb through 'zines and read reviews and interviews with musicians and artists that were underground. Ground Zero had a basement that hosted shows every now and then for local indie or arty post-rock bands.

Communication was stronger between the record buyer and the indie store owner/clerk. Many times I would just go to chat with someone about new records I should check out or shows happening around town. Sometimes just walking into the store and hearing what they were playing on the stereo would get me interested in new things.

I definitely prefer those days as opposed to the online blurb of "Those who bought THIS record also bought THAT record..." and so on. Despite the turbulent times the record industry is going through, these stores still exist and are taking the punches that everyone involved in music is taking. So cheers to them."

Brother Ali

"I've always loved independent music stores because the staff is usually there because of a genuine love and appreciation for music. They're more in-tune with the customers and I'm willing to pay the extra dollar or two for the service they provide. Some of my greatest music discoveries have come from picking up an album at an indy store and the cat behind the register saying "You like this man? Have you heard of so-and-so?" I prefer to shop where people understand me and the music- the music i like."

Dale Watson

"The one constant in this ever changing music business is the heartfelt and "ear to the ground" Indie Record Stores that avid music fans and artists alike know they can count on to keep music thriving locally. I tour all over the world, and it's these Indie Record Stores that many times make or break a market. People will always want an "album" to hold, not just have downloaded, and Indies fill that need and then some."

Onry (Grayskul)

"I enjoy how there is more variety to choose from ... It's not just your everyday selection. Independent music recieves more of a push in places like these rather than just the mainstream."

Mac Lethal

"Before all of them were shut down by itunes and downloading, my local indy record stores were perhaps the only reason life was worth living. It's strange to think that there was a time that an album you've never heard of could be sold to you because of cool artwork and a successful listening station session. Every Tuesday, you'd walk in, say what's up to the same 3 people who are always there working, and feast your eyes upon the 'new releases' shelf. Seldom did I walk out with any money left. And I was fine with that. Now my city doesn't have any independent record stores."

Ursula 1000 (DJ on ESL – Thievery Corporation label)

"The indie record shop is the nucleus of the nerd...the internet has it's temptations but physically digging for booty? there's no substitute."

Brian Fair (Shadows Fall)

"Independent record stores have always been the only place to find great music that is off the mainstream radar. I used to love heading down to our local spot to sift through the new imports or albums from some small label I had never heard of. In the days before the internet the only way to find out about new underground bands was either a cool neighbor an older brother or the local independent record store. Luckily I had both and it lead to a record collection I am still very proud of. I still love that feeling of walking into a great independent store and having no idea what I might find. It's like a treasure hunt. hahaha"

Alex Brown Church (Sea Wolf)

"To me, there's absolutely no better place to discover new music than your local independent record store. There's nothing like being able to peruse the racks, touch and see the actual artwork, listen to whatever is featured at the listening station, find out about upcoming local shows, or talking to the people working there for recommendations and sharing new discoveries. Also, I've found that a good indie record store can actually help create a good local music scene!"

Fat Mike (NOFX)

"If it wasn't for independent record stores, I would be a San Fernando valley real estate agent."

Michael Chislett (The Academy Is…)

"When I was old enough to work, I got a job for a record store handing out flyers to promote the store. I used to walk around bored out of my mind until lunch time when I would read all the record sleeves. I would finish work for the day and blow all the money I made on CDs at the very same shop that just paid me! I can't seem to walk past a record store without going in. The more independent the better, I usually fall in love with the music that is blasting as I walk in and always leave with a few rare items I have been searching for. You can't beat the atmosphere of an indie record store, it's the best!"

The Bad Plus (jazz/prog band)

"None of us would be here if it weren't for independent record stores. It's the place you go to get inspired; to find something off the beaten path. They are a wonderful resource to discover new local talent or something you can't find anywhere else. You believe in the place because it's run by music lovers. You trust, take chances and discover new things. You leave with an armful of records feeling like you're part of a community that supports MUSIC. And you can't wait to get home and listen."

"There's nothing better than going into a record store and browsing the shelves. If it's an independent record store, that's all the more reason to support these folks who still make the music happen."

Steve Wilson (Porcupine Trees)

"Independent retail has always been the backbone of Porcupine Tree's exposure in the US, and from the very beginning, the band was proactive in trying to associate with as many indie retail stores/chains as possible. We've always respected the aesthetics of the "pure" record store, and the importance of knowledgeable staff who can recommend great stuff to you because they truly love music and know what they're talking about, and are not selling vacuum cleaners or washer/dryers in the next section over. Porcupine Tree would never have reached its level of retail exposure without the indie stores, we'll always stand with them."

Stanton Moore (Galactic)

"Indy record stores can offer knowledge, experience and a level of personal service that can be hard to find through other outlets. I can go into my Local indy store (the Louisiana Music Factory) and talk to the owners and get info on records that my favorite musicians have played on. Having this relationship has been super important to my musical development and the growing of my collection. You can't get that kind of service anywhere else."

Brent Smith (Shinedown)

"The fact still remains that the record industry is constantly changing with new advances in multimedia and internet access for downloading music. With that being said,

it is imperative that independent retailers continue to thrive so that people can still walk into a record store and buy CDs. GO INDIE OR GO HOME!"

Del The Funky Homosapien

"Independent record stores are like the best thing going for real music lovers. There's just no way you're gonna find those elusive grooves that fan fan salivates over at a chain store. Those important records that shape the industry and add so much dimension to it can be found at the indie spots. I remember going to a store named Leopold's in Berkeley CA when I was younger. Man, I used to live in that place. They were pretty much the only place I could find Hiphop. Back then, there wasn't much at the chain stores. You had to go forth and discover stuff, and the indie stores is where the discovery begins. People in the store are informed, they can actually HELP you find stuff that you're interested in or suggest things that you may be interested in. It's just a hip place to be, man."

Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)

"Some of my fondest childhood memories are of going to a small record store in Florence AL called The Turning Point every friday or saturday afternoon. I would skip lunch at school and save my lunch money for the week and it would put me within a dollar or two of having enough for a record a week (1974 prices). It doubled as a head shop and the smell of incense burning always made me think (even in 5th grade or so) that it was covering up the smell of some illicit drug being burned in the back. (It probably was, actually). I was very attracted to that thought and just loved the whole experience.

After they shut that store down I began going to a smaller, but really well stocked store across the river. The manager there was named Jay and he turned me onto The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen and upteen other acts. We became life long friends, in fact he road-tripped into Athens GA this weekend to see my band play here. He runs Plan 9 in Richmond which is about as good a store as any in America and he still is turning me onto great bands. When I was 14 they built a mall on my side of the river with a Record Bar in it. They were a chain, but in those days it was a pretty cool one and when I turned 16 it became my first job. I was a terrible employee, but I'm convinced they never fired me because I spent all my paycheck on records and I knew our inventory inside out.

Actually they eventually did fire me, but by then I had grown into a pretty decent employee and the company had gone all corporate so I had to go. We have a turntable on our tourbus and we go scouring for little indie record stores in every town and I still blow my whole per-diem on records. Here I am 43 with a wife and child and I'm still misappropriating my lunch money like in 5th grade. The record labels throwing the indie stores to the wolves and casting their lot with the faceless megastores is indicative the mindset that has put them in such sorry shape of late. The indie record store was the closest link between music and the consumer and there was no replacing that interaction.

It is good tho see that some of the surviving indie stores are in some cases showing growth largely due to sales of vinyl records. It IS an interesting time to watch how all of this is going to pan out. Long Live Record Stores!"

Chris Faller (The Hush Sound)

"Independent record stores rule. They are the last refuge for those who are looking for music that's outside of the box or outside of this decade."

Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls)

"My early record shopping experiences were my musical backdrop. It's not just the ability to touch, see and smell an album and the artwork...it's the fact that you are in a Real Place with Real People...and not just any people: other music-obsessed freaks like you. I discovered so many bands by just hanging out, talking to shopkeepers, getting recommendations from some random dude who was flipping through the Nick Cave bootleg box as fervently as I was. Every time I am in a different city on tour, I make a point to hit the indie retail record stores to see what they're spinning and selling, because i just LOVE being there...my own personal and sometimes anonymous church. You can't get that feeling sitting behind your computer, ever."

Andrew W.K.

"I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which had no shortage of amazing record stores. The hours I spent wandering about one in particular -Encore Records - was all time well spent. Speaking with clerks and customers, being introduced to music I never knew existed, and sometimes just looking at record covers - I enjoyed every aspect of the record store 'shopping' experience. There's a certain indescribable feeling that I was always left with - feeling motivated and like the world was so full of possibility. I love Newbury Comics! I remember the first time I entered the flagship store in Boston - right away I was struck by the beautiful aroma - it was the smell of music, books, and the people that love them!"

Ben Orum (All Shall Perish)

"Ill never forget how I got into metal, it was a small indie record store in my home town. They had all the stuff the big guys were to afraid to stock."

Tomas Haake (Meshuggah)

"It's sad to see some of the developments in society, where everyday, more and more things conform toward a bland, non-diverse medium or "standard" if you will - The big, monetarily strong chainstores and companies are slowly burying the smaller, diverse (read: cool) indie ones!! No matter if it's clothes, music or otherwise - this steady decline of uniqueness, diversity and "individual expression" is truly scary!!

In all honesty, how cool is it to have to go into a 100.000 Square ft, flourescent lighted warehouse, where none of the "meek, perfect skin, fuckwhat's - type employees" know the first thing about any music outside of what's on billboard's top ten - only to find that the brand new Slayer album you so desire to own, is found on the "cd-pick-o-the-week" rack, right in between the spankingly fresh releases of Ms Aguilera and Dance Mania no.987...!?!?...Honestly...

Support your local indie and underground stores! Seriously!! For the good of all!!"

Blake/nachtmystium

"Small record stores are the back bone of the indie music industry. A place where small bands and small labels can get their music into the hands of new listeners without the corporate filtration systems of mass distributors. Without small record stores, my band and label would've never become what they are today. I can only hope that the digital age doesn't cause a mass-extinction of these excellent and resourceful businesses run by music fans, for music fans."

Elizabeth Cook

"Record stores are the hippest libraries. In these tired ole days of homogenized entertainment, where so much of the art of our society is culminated, dumbed-down and mass produced, there is a shining jewel in the rise of the indy record stores. Going to a record shop for me is like a little treasure hunt no one can take you on but yourself. It's fun to look around and see the other shoppers too...totally entrenched in their own adventure, anticipating the reward of heart wrenching, soul filling, joy making music that might just be a bin or a flip away."

Booka Shade

"Whenever we tour the states, we make sure to stop by several of the numerous outstanding indie Record Stores, such as Record Archives, to get our hands on hard to find records which are nearly impossible to get over here in Europe."

Ungdomskulen

"Independent record stores keep the plate spinning. When we're in the States, they're our home away from home."

Gorilla Zoe

Max Richter

"A proper record shop reminds us why we got into this in the first place - a place to be reminded of old friends, still in their spots on the shelves, a source of unexpected magic and lucid memories - a place that reminds us that music is more than dumb file sharing and the management of dead data by faceless sociopathic corporations, but a storehouse of dreams, both possible and impossible."

DJ Jazzy Jeff

"The Independent Record Store is the reason why i STILL do music...It seems like they're the only ones that Really care about the real music lovers...we need them...they're our balance to all of the music we are FORCED to listen to...they're the only ones that may still suggest something NEW and FRESH instead of just what's popular."

JJ Grey

"Going to the record store as a kid was always an exciting affair. Like most kids my mother dragged me along on every shopping excursion but the one saving grace was at some point I would be able to sneak off to the record store (next to Cloth World). The excitement that I felt back then is rekindled every-time I go into a real independent record store today."

Greg Bartens (Film School)

"Indie record stores are the hub of a town's musical community. Aside from being wise informants on new releases and keepers of the used cd pool, they also host intimate performances from artists. Where else can young fans go to see their favorite acts live? When on tour we try to play as many indie record stores as we can. These performances are usually the ones fans remember and write us about, young and old alike."

Cary Brothers

"When I was a kid, I spent the better part of my time in indie record stores, sifting through bins of CDs for new import EPs from my favorite Brit bands, befriending employees with loads of opinions to share, and discovering what I loved about music which had nothing to do with what was being sold to me on the radio. The handwritten "Staff Picks" were eternally cool, even if I sometimes hated the records. Now, my favorite "Mom and Pop" shops have started closing around me, I have to go into these superstores where they don't know what EPs are, they can tell you where a CD is but nothing about it, and the only discs they have in stock are what's on the radio. I feel so lucky to have grown up in indie stores where there was as much humanity in the selling of music as in the making of it."

Skerik

"My name is Skerik. I live in Seattle. Scoo Leary says Seattle is 'The home of Rock', because Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee are from there amongst others, Scoo is really funny too. When I need to get some rock when I'm home, I go to one of several local record stores, they are all awesome. I can walk to Easy Street records in West Seattle, and I like to visit the owner Matt at the big Queen Anne location. Matt supports local music on a daily, year round basis. The Easy Street Queen Anne location has a stage for in=store performances, it's not half ass, it's a real stage, and he even lets my little bands play there!!!

Sonic Boom is another great store, they have three locations, they also have in store performances. The mothership of all local Seattle record stores is Wall of Sound, they have the most creative music selection. Which is important in Seattle, because if you only listened to the local radio station (KEXP 90.3) from 8am to 5pm, you would think that the only music on earth was from 23 year old kids that only play guitar, bass, drums and maybe a keyboard. Wall of Sound has music from all over the world, featuring hundreds of different instruments, composers, bands, individuals, freaks, etc. Punk rock from Burma? Done.

Anti-american terrorist songs, done. Harry Partch records? Done.... I am particularly aware of indy record stores right now, because I am writing this from New Orleans, which after the storm lost a Tower Records, and a Virgin Mega Store, and some other places, so there is almost nowhere to buy music. There are some amazing vinyl places, but not the full featured CD/Vinyl selection that we have in Seattle. One store in New Orleans is the Louisiana Music Factory that specializes in regional music, it is incredible! They also have in store performances that are a blast.

Art in America isn't really driven by Reagan's trickle down theory, it doesn't respond well to 'market factors' etc, it needs individual support and money, so go buy a record at a non-corporate store today, every dollar will stay within a few miles of the store, I promise. Really, I promise!!.....WHERE we spend our money EVERYDAY, is more important than ever, please check out resources such as http://www.betterworldshopper.com/ every damn dollar makes a difference, buy some music!! And I really hope that when this time of 'digital transition' has settled down, people will be aware and appreciate SOUND QUALITY, and stop compromising sound for convenience, such as small MP3 files, to learn more about this please check this out."

P.O.S.

"You can't trust a Wal-mart to have anyone who will know what they are talking about if you are talking about music. Indies take time to think about the music they sell, and the people who frequent there stores."

Abstract Rude

"My 1st time walking into any record store was back in the 80s @ the Uncle Jam's ran shack around the corner from my house in South Central LA (on Slauson & Western.) Sound Control Mob & other local DJs ran the store & it was like when u stepped into that store u stepped into the real world of hip hop. There were small groups of boys always hovered around the Elevator Action & Ms. Pacman arcade games, always arguing it was their turn next. Whatever was the new jam rotated on 1580 KDAY or the song everybody was bumping in their Nissan trucks - u could cop it there & they probably had it 1st.

There only competition was a cpl booths in the Slauson Swapmeet that did carry new tapes (1 had records), but those store owners only cared about making profits from the music & u could tell, even as a kid u could tell they weren't really about the culture, so u went in there to steal vinyl, whereas u went into the more indie spot to experience a hip hop moment. Whether it was a DJ mixing live, 2 MCs battling or fools pop locking & breaking, u felt a closer connection to the culture in the indie/dj ran stores.

I remember after hearing 'It's Tricky' blasting thru the instore speakers I bought Raising Hell by Run DMC when it 1st came out on tape; I listened to it so much in that 1st week that my tape unravelled & broke. I brought it back to get a newie, and they were sold out, so they gave me Fat Boys instead to tide me over until they got more in stock. I never returned it though, I just got into them too, actually started beat boxing real tuff after that. Memories man....."

Phanie D (Girl in a Coma)

"I grew up discovering music at local independent shops in my city. Being able to walk in and listen to unknown artists from across the country as well as local bands was something to look forward to when I got off school. Finding an album, taking a chance on it based on the cover and it ending up being my favorite album of the year. Where else can you find vinyl, tapes, CDs and rare albums? Independent shops will even let you go through their catalogs and special order hard to find CDs or imports that you can't find anywhere else. If we lose indie record shops we definitely lose a spirit of rock and roll."